Face of 'selfish' husband who stabbed and strangled wife to death to 'punish' her for starting divorce proceedings
A "selfish" husband who murdered his wife after she started divorce proceedings tried to claim he had acted in self-defence, police said.
Harminder Mattu, 51, was today (March 24) convicted of murdering Paramjit Kaur at their home in Oldbury after she filed for divorce.
Mattu attacked Mrs Kaur, known as 'Soni' at the address in Swan Crescent on March 30 last year.
Mattu attended West Bromwich Police Station at 8am the following day to report he'd killed the 46-year-old.
Officers quickly visited the address and sadly found the body of Mrs Kaur.
Police said Mattu claimed she was drunk, had hit him and was the one initially armed with the knife. He said he then managed to get hold of the knife and stabbed her.
But a post-mortem examination was able to show she died as result of pressure on her neck, rather than the stab injuries, which most likely occurred after she was unconscious.
She was in the process of leaving Mattu, having filed for divorce around two months earlier, saying their marriage of 10 years had irretrievably broken down.
He had previously slapped her across the face, twisted her leg and broke her phone while drunk in December 2024, although she did not want to pursue criminal charges, police said.
In another incident, unreported at the time, he grabbed her by the throat, causing her to briefly lose consciousness. She later confided in others about the assaults. At the end of 2024, she had briefly moved from the marital home but temporarily returned.
In tribute, Mrs Kaur's family said: “We feel a huge loss to our family, my sister was a loving and active member of our family who cared for and looked out for us all."
Detective Sergeant Paul Parham, from West Midlands Police's homicide unit, said: "It appeared Mattu was trying to punish his wife for wanting to leave him. He strangled Paramjit and then used a knife on her so was clearly intent on causing serious harm.
"It wasn't self-defence, but the selfish actions of a man who didn't want his marriage to end. Instead, he robbed Paramjit of the new future she was looking for.
"She tragically lost her life, and our thoughts remain with her loved ones."
Mattu is due to be sentenced on April 2.